We went to the kitchen first and Mara gave me a warm broth that was thin and rich in nutrients. It wasn't much, but at the very least it calmed my hunger.
“How are you feeling now?”
“My stomach doesn't hurt as much…”
“Still can't walk though?” She raised an eyebrow, starting to get used to guessing what I was trying to say.
“Yea…” I was starting to get used to her presence again, and the anxiety I felt from her getting close seemed to be fading.
She picked me up again, walking towards the door. “The poison's effects should run through your system quickly. By tomorrow you should have your strength back.”
“I know…” I muttered. That didn't exactly help my current condition though.
She paused, “You know?”
I rested my head on her shoulder, relaxing my body and sinking onto her back. “Well, yeah. It was strangle-weed venom, right? So really if I was as strong as Lu I probably would have fully recovered by now.”
She opened the door, walking outside into the cold air. “You're not wrong, but how did you know what it was?”
I closed my eyes, resting them as I continued to casually answer her questions. “We have a book in the dojo about poisons and toxins.”
“And you diagnosed yourself that quickly based on what you read in that book?”
I shivered from the cold breeze, tensing up slightly, and she groaned in response, likely able to feel me shaking.
“Sorry, it's just… really cold.”
“Siya, the poison.”
“Right… Well, it wasn't that hard to remember the symptoms. I felt ice cold, and my throat closed up, as well as the burning in my chest, I figured it had to be strangleweed. Poisons can be similar, but none of them are exactly the same. It acts fast though…” I slowly looked back up at her. ‘That means that even if she wasn't the one that poisoned me, she was probably there when it happened…’
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She lowered her voice. “You're not wrong there either…”
I smirked, trying to hide my disappointment. “Am I ever wrong?”
“You've always been pretty smart, that's what makes it so easy to focus on training, I didn't have to spend much time on your education.”
My smirk faded away. Her voice was still monotone and very matter-of-fact, but that didn't detract at all from the compliment I heard coming from her lips.
“Having a good memory and being smart is different…” I muttered, lifting my head off her shoulder and hiding behind her. I grabbed her shirt, leaning my head against her back.
“Yeah, but it certainly helps.”
My emotions were in constant conflict, preventing me from speaking. I wanted to be happy that she said that about me, but at the same time I still hadn't fully gotten over what had happened just hours prior.
“What's wrong? I thought you said I could never win against you?”
Her voice had changed if only slightly, taking on a warmer and more childish tone.
I thought back to the argument we had about whether or not I was lucky. ‘That must have stuck with her…’
“Who said you won?” I asked.
“Well, you didn't respond. That's the same as admitting defeat, you know.”
A wave of heat and steam suddenly rushed past me and warmed my whole body. I almost squealed with excitement, but instead just let out a heavy relaxed sigh. We had entered the bathhouse.
She set me down in a chair and began to undo the many braids in her long silver and gold hair. ‘Is she joining me then?’
I couldn't help but turn around, looking away as she began to undress. The idea of a public bath wasn't one I was very used to. Trying to hide how bashful I was, I continued our conversation.
“We were never fighting to begin with... I never said I didn't have intelligence, just that it wasn't the same as having a good memory, I could have both.
“Ah, so you’re saying we are on the same side then?”
‘The same side…’ I had never actually thought about it. Hearing those words chilled me to the bone. I had always been working under the idea that I was the only one on my side. It wasn't so much as everyone was working against me as much as they were working for themselves.
I heard a soft splash of water coming from behind me as I got lost down a rabbit hole in my own mind. It was hard to imagine being on the same side as her, even though it had already happened it was hard to imagine getting a compliment from her either.
“Siya?”
I heard the water move around as she spoke my name.
“O-oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought…”
“Don't tell me you're even too weak to take your own clothes off.
“N-NO THAT'S FINE!” I yelled embarrassed at the whole situation. In reality, it wasn't all that different from how she had treated me when I was feverish, but it was hard for me to feel anything, much less embarrassment when I could hardly string together two conscious thoughts.
A heavy silence filled the air following my sudden outburst. Since the dress was my sister's, it was too big. If it had fit properly I probably would have had to try and fight with it, lifting it over my head, but since I was so skinny all I had to do was let the straps on my shoulders fall off and bring my arms up.
I stood up, my legs shaking under my weight until I steadied myself against the wall before letting my clothes fall to the ground.
As soon as the dress fell to the floor, icy cold hands grabbed my waist and picked me up, causing me to inhale sharply. “Mara What are you doing!” I yelled, frozen stiff by her icy touch. Before I knew it I was suddenly submerged in burning hot water up to my chin.
“Oh, can you walk now?” She asked sarcastically, slowly moving back to the other side of the massive tub.
I turned away again. “No…” I mumbled. I may have been the same gender, as my mother, but that didn't make it any less awkward.
Even that didn't manage to take away from how good the hot water felt on my skin though. It surrounded me, soaking into my skin and ripping the tension and anxiety away. It had been so long that I forgot the actual feeling, and being able to finally experience it again I was not disappointed.